The Tale of the Silver Sight
by Amashelle
Summary: There were two retellings here that attempted to incorporate Sam into this episode. As they were both unfinished, I had to try my hand at it myself. Note that only re-written scenes appear in this fic. For the full story, you'll have to watch the three-part episode of the same name. I do not own the basic plot, nor do I own any of the characters. Bonus Sam/Gary mushy stuff ;)
1. Chapter 1

The clearing hadn't changed at all. Gary crept along the familiar path, wary of interrupting the new group, but somehow desperately wanting to see them. To meet them. To know that it was still around, telling stories.

The fire was lit, and someone was there. He could see their shadow against the firelight, but their back was to him. It wasn't Tucker; the shadow was too short. He called out to it so he wouldn't startle the kid, but got no response. He moved closer, and the figure turned around. Not a kid at all. A monster. It laughed delightedly, and Gary fell back, and the his grandfather was there, asking for help. Begging for help...

His phone was ringing. He wasn't sure which had woken him up: the ring, or the nightmare. He picked it up, too stunned to even check the caller id. Too shaken to even be surprised at is grandmother's voice on the other end of the line. Her sorrow, though, drenched his fear. He was the reliable one. It wasn't until he hung up, after coaxing her to calm, after letting her convince him to stay where he was until morning, that he let himself wonder at the coincidence of dreaming of his grandfather so soon after his death. Like something from a ghost story. Like something that wasn't supposed to happen in real life.

It wasn't quite midnight. His grandfather had passed less than an hour ago. Heart attack. He sat staring at the phone, trying to guess if she'd be awake still. She had class tomorrow morning, but she'd always been a night-owl who survived on too little sleep. He picked up the phone.

Within fifteen minutes, Sam was sitting on his futon, listening as he recounted his strange dream and staggering phone call. Her hand rested on his, a quiet comfort in the face of a death he hadn't fully acknowledged.

'That's so weird,' she said when he finished.

He laughed. A strange, joyless sound. 'You believe me?'

'I know you well enough to know you wouldn't joke about something like this. So yeah. I believe you. Do you want me to come with you to your grandmother's tomorrow?'

Yes. He would love to have her there. Of course he would. Grams would probably even appreciate Sam's quiet sympathy. 'No, you have class.'

She squeezed his fingers and reached her other hand up to stroke his cheek. 'Let me know if you change your mind. Some things are more important than class.'

He smiled. Just having her here made the weird night seem rational, if not normal. Just having her here made him feel like he could do almost anything.

Sam had never paid such little attention to a teacher before. She kept looking at the clock, and wondering how Gary was doing. She'd never seen him like that before. Even after the most frightening stories they'd told around the fire, she'd never seen him look so... Afraid.  
Free at last from the lecture, Sam gathered her pathetic attempts at notes and raced from the classroom. Gary and Tucker were both waiting for her outside. Both had that nervous, uncertain look of lost children. She gave Tucker a hug and took Gary's hand. 'How'd it go? How's Gran?' she realized too late that she'd forgotten to say your, but after four years of dating Gary, maybe it didn't matter.

'As well as can be expected,' Gary said, squeezing her hand almost too tightly.

'We have a favour to ask,' Tucker said.

'Of course. Anything you need, I'm here for you.'

'No, Sam. Don't agree until you've heard what it is,' Gary said.

Sam frowned, worried now. What could possibly be so big that they'd think for even a moment that she wouldn't want to do it? 'Okay then, what is it?'

'Not here. Tucker's friends have a meeting tonight. I'll explain everything there, if you're up for one more trek through the woods?'

She nodded, though her mind was racing. What was going on? 'Yes, of course. But Gary...'

He looked at her. He met her gaze with his steady, serious stare, the one that never failed to reassure her when she was freaking out. She nodded again. 'Okay. Tonight. I'll be there.'

The clearing was not quite as it had looked in is dream, but it was mostly the way e remembered it. He eyed the couch and chair. 'Hey, it's comfy!' Tucker said.

'I didn't say anything,' Gary replied.

'You were thinking it.'

Tucker's friends arrived mostly together. They wore that awkward expression people have when they don't know what to say. Meghan managed a quiet 'sorry about your grandfather.'

Sam slipped in behind them. She, too, eyed the furniture additions, and glanced at him, eyebrows high. He smiled and shook his head. He loved that they could share these silent conversations.

'Hey, Tuck, you said your brother was coming, but who's the chick?'

'Sam's also a former member. She's cool,' Tucker said. Gary was about to be relieved that his brother wasn't going to call attention to his relationship with Sam when Tucker added, in his singsong voice, 'she's Gary's giiirlfrieeend.'

Gary sighed and rolled his eyes at the inevitable 'ooooo' from Tucker's audience. He waited for their laughter to subside. He even waited for Tucker to call his meeting to order, though it took everything he had not to take charge. It was Tucker's group now.

But Tucker motioned for him to get on with it, differing to Gary in a way he rarely did even when Gary had been in charge. 'Grampa Gene wrote one last story before he died,' Gary said, pacing the circle, too agitated to sit. Besides, it wasn't his story. Somehow, he felt that he should leave the storyteller's chair empty, in case his Gramps wanted to sit in. Silly. Childish. Possible? 'It's been years in the making, but it's not finished.'

'Not finished?'

'He wants us to finish it,' Tucker said. Gary smiled. He and Tuck had never been much of a united front. It was good to have his support in this.

'Alright, what's the story?'

'Five friends discovered a magical charm. They thought it was a good luck charm, but they soon discovered that the only luck it had was bad. They tried to get rid of it, but bad things kept happening, and they soon discovered it was because one of the members of the group was using the magic of the charm for evil.'

'A traitor? Excellent! Go on.'

Gary pursed his lips. He doesn't know, just keep going. 'One of the friends stole the charm and hid it. He gave each of the group one clue, knowing that they'd have to work together to find the charm, and only by working together could they destroy it.'

'So what happens next?'

'What happens is this isn't a story, is it?' Meghan said. Gary looked at her, ashamed at his surprise. Spoiled rich kid or not, she was still pretty smart.

'It is s story,' Tucker moved restlessly to s different seat. 'A true story.'

Gary looked to Sam, who was watching him in that quiet way she sometimes had, taking in all his words, not letting anyone know her thoughts. He hated that look. It had made telling her he liked her so much harder than it already was. And yet it was comforting, too. Familiar in the midst of all the strangeness.

'Tell us everything, Gar.' she said.

He nodded,and resumed his pacing. 'The five friends were the original midnight society. The charm was something called the silver sight. The clues were recorded on a record and broken into five pieces.' He held up Grampa Gene's piece of the record and finally felt calm enough to sit. The cool stone of the storyteller's chair was another familiar, grounding sensation. 'Tucker and I need to collect the clues, find the silver sight, and destroy it.'

'So what do you need us for?'

'Grampa Gene was worried that someone else was after the clues.'

'The traitor!'

'Exactly. We need to hurry, to collect them all before someone else gets to them. To do that, we need help.'

'What, exactly, would we have to do?'

'We have the names of the other four members. We would need you to track them down and get their clues.'

'What if we run into the traitor?'

'I don't know,' Gary said.

Sam stood and moved to sit on the arm of the storyteller's chair, her hand on Gary's shoulder. A breath of relief escaped him. She didn't think he was crazy. She was still with him.

'What exactly is the silver sight thing?' Megan asked.

'It's a charm, probably a small thing, but capable of really hurting people.'

'Oh, I'm not liking this. Gary, listen, we tell stories. Fictional stories. This is... Real.' Quinn said.

'Exactly,' Tucker said, 'that's why we have to do this. Because it's real.'

'I won't blame any of you if you decide not to help. We came to you for the same reason Grampa Gene came to me: we didn't think anyone else would believe us.'

'Alright, give me a name, before I change my mind,' Meghan said.

Gary smiled at her and stood. 'Thanks Meg.' He gave her one of the slips of paper.

'I'll help,' Andy said, standing.

'Me too, but... Not alone.' Vange said.

'No problem. Why don't you two work together?' he passed them one of the other slips of paper.

'Alright. I'll help, because if this goes bad, you're gonna need me,' Quinn said.

'Thanks man,' Gary said, but Sam took the slip of paper from him before Andy could.

Gary looked at her, but nodded. However much he wanted her to stay with him, it made more sense to split up. 'Tucker and I will take the fourth name. Remember, it's the records we need. We can't find the silver sight without them. But... Be careful.' He tried not to let his gaze linger on Sam, tried to make sure each of them knew he was talking to them all, but it was hard. Maybe he shouldn't have brought Sam into this after all. Then again, would she have forgiven him for depriving her of the adventure? 'We can meet tomorrow in my dorm room to discuss our progress. My address is on the slips of paper. Good luck everyone. And thank you.'

They started to head out, but Quinn stopped. 'Hey, Gary, you forgot something.'

Gary thought through the conversation. What could he have...

'The story needs a title, doesn't it?'

Now he smiled, and they gathered around the fire again as Gary plucked the bag of dust from the hollow tree trunk. 'Haven't done this in a while. Submitted for the approval of the midnight society, I call this story...' he stopped as the midnight dust smothered the fire, leaving them in darkness. They looked around at each other, and as one left the clearing.

None of them saw the fire burst back to life. None of them heard the laughter that filled the clearing in their absence.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam exchanged phone numbers with Quinn and arranged to meet with him later, then fell into step beside Gary for the walk back to campus. They walked in silence, but she could tell there was something he wanted to say. She also knew he wouldn't just spit it out, either. For all his facilitator skills, personal conversations were not his strong suit. He'd been getting better, though.

'How are you doing with all this?' she asked, taking his hand.

'I don't even know. It doesn't quite seem real. I keep waiting to wake up.'

'That's what you said after our first date. Remember? Your brother got you tickets and...'

'Told you I wanted to go with you because he knew I'd never ask you myself. I still can't believe you agreed.'

She shrugged. 'It was a cool band.' And to make sure he knew she was kidding, she nudged her shoulder against his. He only smiled a little. 'Hey, Gary, it's alright.

We can do this. _You_ can do this. Grampa Gene thought so.'

'I just hope he's not putting his trust in the wrong person.'

Sam sighed. 'Have confidence, Gary. Trust yourself for a change. You have good instincts.'

'Right. Confidence.'

'Look, you handled that meeting really well. You convinced all of us that this is real. Do you think any of us would have believed this if Tucker had told us?'

Gary laughed. It was good to hear it. 'We might have...'

'No. We wouldn't. That's why your grampa reached out to you. He knew that, if anyone would be able to do this, you could.'

'I hope you're right.'

'Trust your instincts, Gary.' She pulled him to a stop and leaned up to kiss his cheek. 'They've not let you wrong yet.'

Sam met up with Quinn the following morning. She eyed the junkyard skeptically.

'Are you sure this is the right place?' Quinn asked.

'As sure as I can be,' Sam answered.

Quinn snatched the address they'd tracked down at the library from her hand and compared it to the plaque on the chainlink fence. 'No way this is right.'

Sam pushed open the gate. 'We'll never know if we don't check it out. Come on.'

They wandered through rows of old car doors, frames, and other neatly organized aisles of parts. For a junkyard, it was surprisingly well sorted.

'Did you hear that?' Quinn asked.

'Hear what?' Sam turned to look at him, but he'd wandered around a bend. A moment later, she heard him scream, and she ran after him, but there was no sign of him. 'Quinn?' She could hear him crying for help, which at least meant he was still alive, but what a moment ago had seemed ordered rows of junk was now a maze. Sam ran towards Quinn's yells, but her path was always blocked.

Finally she ran out into an open space, and nearly collided with Quinn and an older fellow. Quinn jogged behind the stranger and turned to look back the way he'd come. 'Call it off!' he cried.

'Call what off?'

Sam looked down the path Quinn had tumbled out of. There was nothing there. 'Dude, why don't you have a beware of dog sign?' Quinn panted.

The stranger frowned at him. 'Because I ain't got no dog,' he said, stepping away from Quinn to limp towards a ramshackle building. Sam didn't know Quinn well enough to guess if he was kidding or not. Better to reserve judgement; it's not as though she had much experience hunting for evil magic charms, and in the stories, it's always the non-believer who has the hardest time getting out.

'What can I do for you folks today?' the stranger asked.

'We're looking for somebody-'

The man laughed. 'Sorry. I go any piece of junk you'd care to name, but I am fresh out of bodies.'

'Her name is Donna Tilton?'

That got his attention. He turned around slowly, using an old fan as a walking stick. 'Why? Who are you?'

'We're part of a group. We're trying to track down all the original members.'

He looked them up and down. 'That'd be that Midnight Society then, eh?'

'Yeah! That's the one... Unless that's bad, in which case we never heard of it.'

Sam elbowed Quinn. 'What he means is, yes. Do you know where we can find Donna?'

With a sad shrug, he motioned for them to follow him. 'Step into my office. Sorry about the mess, it's the secretary's day off.' Looking around, his secretary either wasn't very good, or didn't really exist. Sam was leaning towards the latter as he moved piles of newspaper from a couple chairs so they could all sit down. 'I'm Vince,' he said, and Sam and Quinn introduced themselves, too.

'How did you know Donna?' Sam asked.

'Donna and I were high school sweethearts. She was the most beautiful girl I've ever known, and no one since has ever come close.'

Sam smiled. She wondered if, when he was this old, Gary would talk of her like this.

'So what happened? Did you get married?'

'I was beset by the worst string of bad luck. I was a star athlete, but I broke my leg. Got in a car accident. House caught fire, and though my family got out, I ended up in the hospital. And that was just the beginning, though for Donna and me, it was also the end. While I was in the hospital, she started seeing someone else.'

'What? While you were sick?' Quinn asked.

I can't say I blame her. Things were pretty bad.'

'Even so, that's cold.' He glanced at Sam. 'Would you do that to Gary?'

Sam glared at him, too offended to even respond. He shrugged.

'So where is Donna now?'

'She went for a drive with her new boyfriend. There was an accident. Only one of them made it out.'

The sadness that filled the Vince's eyes told Sam all she needed to know. Quinn probably knew, too, but he still asked. 'Please tell me it was Donna...' but, or course, the man couldn't do that.

'Thank you for your time, sir,' Sam said, standing.

But he wasn't done. 'This may sound odd to you kids, but it almost felt like there was an actual... Something following me around, trying to keep Donna'n me apart. Something... unnatural.'

Quinn was already at the door. He opened it and went to step out, but jumped back, pushing Sam backwards so that they landed on the floor just as a car rammed through the wall of the shack.

Vince started screaming. 'It's back! What more do you want from me! You've already ruined my life!'

'What's back?' Quinn asked, and Vince turned to them, his eyes wide and wild.

'The Silver Sight.'

Sam and Quinn shared a look. 'That's it! That's what we're looking for!'

Vince stepped away from them. 'I wouldn't recommend that, boy. That thing is evil. Everything that ever went wrong in my life was because of that _thing_.'

'We're trying to destroy it,' Sam said.

'Yeah, if it's still hurting people...' Quinn shrugged. 'Did Donna ever mention a record?'

'A _broken_ record,' Sam added.

Vince hesitated, then pulled on a chain at his neck. At the end of it, he held a piece of black vinyl.

'That's it!' Quinn reached for it, but Vince pulled it away. 'We need that to find the Silver Sight.'

'I'm sorry, but this is all I have left of Donna's.' He clutched the record gently but securely in his callused fingers. 'Tell you what. When I was in the hospital, I drew a picture of Donna. You bring me that picture, I'll let you have the record.'

'Sure, great. Where is it?'

'It was taken from me. By the same man who stole Donna away. Laing Candle.'

'He was also a member of the Midnight Society, wasn't he?' Sam asked. She looked at Quinn. 'Gary had his name.'

'Right then. We'll be back with that picture before you know it... Just... Keep safe until we get back, okay?'

Vince tucked the record back into his shirt. 'I've made it this long, haven't I?'

Sam hoped that would work in his favour.


	3. Chapter 3

Gary frowned into the phone. 'Grandma? Hello?' but the line was dead. He dropped the receiver back into its cradle and looked at Tucker. 'Come on.' He led the way from the dorm, almost running over Quinn and Sam as they came down the hall.

'Gary, what-'

'We think Grams is in trouble,' Tucker said.

Gary wanted Sam to come, but he also didn't want to put her in danger. Torn by his indecision, he gave her a quick, silent hug, and continued on his run down the hallway. It wasn't until they reached the parking garage that he realized she'd followed them, but there were still no words. Tucker climbed, without argument, into the back seat of the little two-door, and soon they were underway. Nobody spoke, which was good, because Gary needed every bit of his concentration to keep the speedometer at the speed limit. He parked poorly, and the three of them raced up the lawn of his grandmother's house.

The place was a mess. 'Grams? It's us...' Gary called. His throat felt stiff, like he was holding in too much. If anything had happened to her...

'Boys?'

Relief flooded through him. She was upstairs. He led the way, taking the steps two at a time, and he caught his grandmother peeking out of the bedroom door. When she saw them, she opened it further and let her grandsons hug her. She led them back down the stairs. 'A man broke into the house. I locked myself in the bedroom, but he kept banging on the door, demanding to get his hands on Gene's part of the record! I thought he was going to break down my door! But look at this, he's ruined my home!'

'I'll call the police,' Gary said. 'Tucker, can you go back and get that thing we were after?'

'Sure thing.' Tucker hugged his grandmother and headed out the door. Gary picked up the downstairs phone, relieved to hear a dial tone. He started dialing as he watched Sam help his grandmother set her chair upright. 'And how are you, dear? It's so good to see you again. Has that grandson of mine put a ring on your finger yet?'

Gary ducked his head, blushing, but also glad that all this awfulness hadn't sapped his grams of her humour.

He reported the break in and joined Sam on the couch. His grams shook her head at him. 'Careful, Gary. A girl like this only comes around once in a lifetime.'

Gary smiled. 'Don't I know it.' They'd been dating for almost four years, but he was still waiting to wake up. Waiting for her to realize that she could do so much better than him.

Grams looked around at the place, frowning. 'What could be so important about that piece of record that someone would do this?' she muttered, and so Gary gave her Grampa Gene's letter. She read it quietly, but before she could say anything, the police pulled up with a blare of their siren, and the next hour was a blur of questions, and pictures of the house, and a mostly pointless inventory of all Grandma's valuables. They knew what the thief was after. They didn't tell that part to the police, though. Whatever Grandma's thoughts were on her husband's story, she didn't seem inclined to share it with the police. Gary didn't blame her.

Once the cops were gone, Sam went into the kitchen to make Grams a pot of tea, and Grams took Gary aside for a few moments. He sighed at her insistence. 'It's not like I haven't thought of it-'

'Well think harder, before it's too late.' And she pressed a small box into his palm.

'Grams, I can't-'

'Gene wanted you to have it. I won't take no for an answer.'

He laughed awkwardly. 'My no isn't the one that worries me...'

The phone rang. Gary answered, relieved to have an excuse to break away from his grandmother's favorite topic. It was Tucker. They had all the pieces of the record.

Gary looked at his grandmother, loathe to leave her alone, but she shook her head. 'Go. Both of you. I'll be alright.'

Sam hugged her. 'We'll be back soon to help you set things to rights around here.'

They gathered in Gary's dorm again. He stopped on the way to borrow a record player from the library. Tucker had already carefully glued the pieces back together. 'Alright, here goes.' Gary set the record on the player and they all leaned in to listen.

'If you're listening to this, then it means you're working together as a group. Remember, it was the power of the group that raised the demon, and it will take the power of the group to destroy it. Don't believe it's promises. Whatever it offers, the evil it gives is far greater. Know your true enemy, and trust the power of the group. Goodbye.'

'He died the next day.'

'Who's the true enemy?' Tucker asked, then answered his own question with a snap of his fingers. 'The general! He was the traitor. He nearly got Meg killed, and he probably broke into Grams's place. It has to be him.'

'Yeah, he's the only one left.'

'I got it,' Andy said.

They turned to him. He was looking at the clues, written out on Gary's presentation board. 'It's all there. Listen to the music, not all the eyes are brown, it's a race that has no winners, with many ups and downs. I know where he hid it.'

'Where?'

'Playland. Come on.'

He led the way out of the room, refusing to elaborate until they reached the park, and even then he just kept saying 'follow me, it's this way!'

Only when the carousel came into view did Gary understand.

'The music on the record-'

'Merry-go-round music!' Vange finished, grinning.

'Oh!' Quinn moved forward, stepping up into the ride. 'Oh yeah!'

'What is it?'

'Not all the eyes are brown? Well, I'm seeing a lot of brown eyes.'

'The Silver Sight! One of the eyes must be silver!' They all joined the search.

'Over here,' Meghan called.

'That's _blue_ , Meg.' Quinn said.

'Hang on...' Tucker dug a quarter out of his pocket and scratched at the blue. 'It's paint.'

And it was silver underneath.

Curiously, Tucker touched a finger to the horse's eye. 'It's warm! Like it's alive!'

Meghan reached out and pressed her finger next to his. The eye started to glow. They snatched their hands away. 'Whoa.'

With a glance at each other, they reached out again. This time, Gary added his touch, and the glow got brighter. They pulled back again. 'It's like, the more of us touch it, the more power it has.'

'That's just like the record said,' Vange grinned. 'The power of the group.'

'Maybe we should all try touching it... together?' Andy suggested.

They all looked at each other, and tentatively reached out. The glow grew, and with a flash, the eye popped out of the ceramic horse. Gary caught it as the carousel lit up and started moving in its unending circle. They all stepped back from the music and the lights.

A laughing child with a strangely Victorian look to him leapt from the back of one of the horses. 'You win! I tried to scare you off, but you were all emtoo good/em! And now you have the Silver Sight. Good job!'

'Who are you?' Gary asked.

'I'm here to help you. To show you how to use the Sight.'

'Alright then, what _is_ he Silver Sight?' Tucker asked.

'Don't you emknow/em?' the kid danced. 'It's the power to _conquer_. It will defeat all your enemies, win wars, put you on top of the world!'

'We're not exactly _at war_ ,' Andy said.

'Everyone has enemies! A mean parent, a bad teacher, a bully... you name them, they're gone!'

The carousel stopped suddenly, and the kid spun around. They all looked over to see General Candle circling the merry-go-round. 'Give that here, boy. You have no idea what you're holding.'

'Here's your chance!' The kid said. 'Tell the Silver Sight that he's your enemy, and he'll be gone forever!'

Gary frowned. That didn't sound right. But the words seemed to vibrate in his head, tempting him to do as the strange kid asked.

'He's not trying to help you, Gary,' the General said.

Gary was pretty sure this was actually true, but the general had told so many lies that believing him now felt foolish. 'Then what is he doing?'

'He is a demon. He's collecting souls. Sure, that bauble there will get rid of your enemies, but then their souls remain trapped inside.'

'Who are you to talk?' Tucker asked. 'You're the traitor! You used the silver sight!'

'Of course I did. We all did. We had no idea how evil it really was. Not until it was too late.'

'Liar!' Tucker said.

'Think about it! It made Donna popular, Evelyn rich, and even Bruce used it to buy this amusement park. We all had our wishes.'

'You used it to get Donna,' Sam said quietly, frowning. 'That's why Vince had such bad luck...'

Laing nodded ruefully. 'I loved her from the beginning. Before we ever heard of the silver sight. But she only ever had eyes for athletes. She used the Sight to gain popularity, and then I knew I'd never...' he shook his head. 'Maybe, if I'd told her sooner, she'd have known she didn't need charms to make her special.'

Gary glanced at Sam, but she was watching the general, her eyes full of pity and sorrow.

'But none of that matters now. Give the charm to me.'

'Now, Gary. Tell the silver sight that he's your enemy, and he'll be gone.'

'What happened to my grandfather?' Gary asked instead.

'He was a good man. The best. He was looking for the Silver Sight. He wanted to destroy it. But that _thing_ knew it. Scared him off, and his heart couldn't take it.'

'Who are you going to believe? A kid like me, or the man who broke into your grandmother's house?'

'I only wanted to protect you kids. To keep you from ending up here, in this predicament.'

'I don't know what to do,' Gary admitted. The General's words felt real, and honest, but the strange kid didn't seem dangerous.

'The final clue: Know your true enemy. That's the only way to beat it,' Quinn said.

'Whatever happens, we're in this as a group, right?' Meghan asked.

Sam put a hand on his shoulder. 'Trust your instincts, Gary.'

Gary stared at General Candle. 'You've lied to us from the start. You broke into my grandmother's house. You nearly got Meghan killed.'

'I was only trying to protect you,' he repeated, falling back against the carousel.

'I know who the true enemy is.'


	4. Chapter 4

The strange kid laughed and danced around, skipping backwards. Gary stared at the silver ball in the palm of his hand. 'The true enemy is...' he turned to look at the kid. 'You.'

The silver ball rose into the air, and the kid's laughter turned to shrieks. 'You can't do that!'

With an explosion of light, the silver ball vanished, and the air filled with spirits. They moved around the group, looking, until they all coalesced around the strange kid. His scream was cut off in the burst of light, and all of it vanished.

The carousel lit up again, and for a moment, the horses were all being ridden by laughing, smiling spirits, and then there was darkness, and silence.

'They've been released,' Meghan said.

Sam hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her, still staring at the carousel.

'What happened to the Silver Sight?' Andy asked.

'Disappeared. I think when it lost its souls, it lost its power,' Gary answered. Sam stepped back, her hand still in his.

'What about him?' Quinn asked.

Gary turned to the general. He was sitting on the edge of the carousel, shaking. Gary let go of Sam to jog over to the old man. 'Are you alright?'

The General stood. 'I am now. Thank you... your grandfather would have been proud of you, Son.' He started walking away, slowly, but without looking back.

'Gary, does this mean the story's over?' Vange asked.

Gary looked at her, then glanced over at Sam, his grandmother's words echoing in his head. He smiled at Vange. 'Yeah. _This_ story ends here.' He put his arm around her shoulder and led her back to the group. They all turned their back on the carousel, and Gary paused a moment to watch them go. End of a story. End of a meeting. He was almost always the last to leave. Only this time there was no fire to put out, no traditional words to say... he glanced back at the merry-go-round, and smiled as an echo of his grandfather waved, winked, and vanished.

One more thing to do.

Sam waited for him, smiling as he trailed behind. 'I knew you could do it,' she said as he caught up. She slipped her arm through his and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

He smiled. 'And you were right. Hey, before I... I have something for you.'

Sam frowned. 'Please tell me it's not an evil silver charm, because you're notorious for loose endings...'

'It's not an evil charm. I promise.' He took her hand and let her away from the carousel. 'It's sort of an heirloom. A gift from Grams. Something Grampa gave to her a long time ago and that I'd now like to give to you. See, the truth is, I've been thinking about this for a long time, and after tonight, I realized... I don't want to wait so long that I loose my chance, like General Candle did with Donna.'

He stopped walking and took out the little box his grandmother had pressed into his hand that evening. He opened the box, and inside, nestled in a bed of worn velvet, was his grandmother's engagement ring. Gary looked around at the quiet park. 'I know this isn't the most romantic place, but I'm hoping you'll not hold that against me.' His eyes returned to hers. She was smiling. Smiling was good, right? Her pretty eyes lifted from the ring to his. 'Well?' he asked.

'Well what?' She answered. 'I'm sensing there's a question connected to this very beautiful gift, but if there is you haven't asked it yet.'

She was right. He was messing this up so bad... he should have known he couldn't accomplish two impossible things in one night.

'Trust your instincts,' she whispered, and he opened his eyes to see she was still smiling.

Instincts. Right. What was the procedure here? Slowly, he sank down to one knee. 'Sam. Samantha. Will you marry me?'

Her smile burst wide, and she knelt, too. 'I thought you'd never ask,' she said, and kissed him. 'Yes. I can't wait.'

'Hey guys, what's -' Tucker stopped walking, staring down at them as they knelt on the ground, Gary halfway done slipping the ring over Sam's finger. Not a perfect fit, but a little resizing would take care of that. 'Oh, no way! Seriously?'

'Tucker,' Gary started, standing, and helping Sam up to her feet, too.

Tucker grinned and stepped closer. 'Congratulations,' he said, and hugged Sam. 'It's about time, too!' Then he swatted Gary. 'An _amusement park_? Really?' But he hugged, him, too. 'Come on. Grams is waiting.' He draped his arms around each of their shoulders and guided them towards Gary's car.

The Tale of the Silver Sight was finally finished. They'd found the end to their grandfather's greatest story. But Gary's greatest story was only just beginning...

The end.


End file.
